Esquire magazine writer, editor-in-chief stand by their version of bin Laden raid

By David McCumber

Published 9:43 pm, Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Was it the "fog of war" or simply a clash of heroes' egos? Whatever the reason, published accounts of the killing of Osama bin Laden are in conflict.

That conflict got personal Tuesday when a CNN piece questioned the accuracy of "The Shooter," a story in Esquire by journalist Phil Bronstein, published in the Times Union several weeks ago.

The Esquire article was about a SEAL Team 6 member, identified for his protection only as "The Shooter," who told of firing the shots that killed bin Laden. The magazine story was excerpted in Hearst newspapers.

Esquire editor-in-chief David Granger and writer Bronstein reacted with considerable asperity to the CNN story, "Who Really Killed bin Laden?" written by the network's national security analyst, Peter Bergen.

It quoted an unnamed SEAL Team 6 member as saying the Esquire account was "complete BS." The CNN source said that the "point man" on the raid, the only SEAL in front of The Shooter, had fired the fatal shot.

The CNN source's theory is the same as that presented in the book "No Easy Day," written by SEAL Team 6 member Matt Bissonnette — a theory that has itself been officially criticized as inaccurate.

The point man, The Shooter and Bissonnette were the first three SEALs to reach the top floor of bin Laden's compound in the raid.

Bronstein emphatically defended the facts of the raid as they were presented in the magazine story, as did Granger.

"In stark contrast with Phil's ... report, the CNN story constitutes a mere act of assertion," Granger wrote in a blog post Wednesday. "As far as can be gleaned from the report, it is based on the opinion of one current SEAL who was not on the bin Laden mission and who therefore could not have the best knowledge of it."

Bronstein said of the CNN story: "I didn't see any evidence. I saw people who had different opinions. Were they there?"

Reached by telephone Wednesday, Bergen repeatedly refused to say whether his source, described in the story as a "serving SEAL Team 6 operator," actually took part in the May 2, 2011, raid.

"The only thing I can say about the sourcing is what's in the story," Bergen said.

Bronstein said, "All the people who were there (on the raid) acted heroically and admirably, whatever their role. As for people who weren't there, they can only offer speculation."

Granger stressed that the story met the magazine's standards.

"I was talking to Phil for over a year as he worked on this — mostly encouraging him and trying to convince him the story should run in Esquire," Granger said in an interview Wednesday. "As a result I know how rigorous his process was, how hard it was to get not just The Shooter but all the other sources he got related to the raid, and The Shooter's life after the service," Granger said.

"I know he went at it with rigor, and our fact-checking department went at it with similar rigor ... We worked as hard as we could, as long as we could on getting it right. We put months and months of work into being as accurate as we could about something that is essentially secret.

Bronstein's 15,000-word account has not been officially challenged or criticized by military authorities — as Bissonnette's account was.

A documentary film based on Bergen's book, "Manhunt: The 10-year Search for Bin Laden, from 9/11 to Abbottabad," is premiering on HBO in May. Bissonnette, meanwhile, has made millions from his book. Esquire did not pay The Shooter anything for his account.

"The larger context of the story was a question about how we as a society treat these guys when they leave the service," Bronstein said Wednesday.